Heterogeneity of human urinary glycosaminoglycans

Crude urinary glycosaminoglycans (GAG) obtained from normal adult men were fractionated by ethanol-fractionation, followed by Dowex 1 column chromatography. The resulting acidic subfractions were qualitatively analyzed for monosaccharide composition and examined by electrophoresis on cellulose acetate membrane and paper chromatography before and after mucopolysaccharidase digestions. Some of the major subfractions were also examined by gel filtration and infrared spectral analysis. The result showed that urinary GAG were extremely heterogeneous in the molecular size, negative charge and the chemical composition. Hyaluronic acid, heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfates A and C, chondroitin, dermatan sulfate and keratan sulfate were found in wide distribution in these acidic subfractions. Of these GAG, chondroitin sulfate isomers were distributed into almost all acidic subfractions, indicating to be the most heterogeneous.